11 June 2022

The Medieval Church in the Isles, Part 13: Its Apostles and Patron Saints


These are the Apostles and Patron Saints of the British Isles and adjacent lands.

An Apostle here refers to the one who introduced Christianity to the realm in question.

Patron Saint here does not necessarily mean an “official” patron saint designated by a governmental entity so much as a person widely regarded as such on a popular level.

Apostles

St. Sixtus of Reims, Apostle of the Gauls

St. Eucharius, Apostle of the Treveri

St. Aristobolus of Britannia, Apostle to the (Roman) Britons

St. Palladius, Apostle of the Irish and of Circinn (in Pictland)

St. Ailbe of Emly, Apostle of Munster

St. Ciarin Siaghir, Apostle of Ossory

St. Patrick of Armagh, Apostle of Ulster

St. Ninian, Apostle of the Caledones (southern Picts, or Caledon)

St. Mungo (Kentigern) of Glasgow, Apostle of Strathclyde

St. Rule (Regulus), Apostle of Fife

St. Colmcille (Columba) of Iona, Apostle of the Verturiones (northern Picts, or Fortenn)

St. Conran, Apostle of Orkney

St. Fergus Cruithneach, Apostle of Caithness

St. Drostan mac Cosgreg of Deer, Apostle of Buchan and Marr

St. Augustine of Canterbury, Apostle to the English (of Kent)

St. Berin (Birinus) of Dorchester, Apostle of Wessex

St. Felix of Burgundy, Apostle of East Anglia

St. Aidan of Lindisfarne, Apostle of Northumbria, Abbot and Bishop

St. Baldred of Tyninghame, Apostle of Lothian

St. Remigius of Reims, Apostle of the Franks

St. Boniface of Devon, Apostle to the Germans

St. Willibrod of Utrecht, Apostle to Friesland, Abbot and Bishop

St. Colman, St. Killian, and St. Totnan, Martyrs, Apostles of Franconia

Twelve Apostles of Ireland:  St. Ciarin of Saighir, St. Ciarin of Clonmacnoise, St. Brendan of Birr, St. Bendan the Navigator of Clonfert, St. Columba of Iona, St. Columba of Terryglass, St. Mobhi of Glasmevin, St. Ruadhan of Lorrha, St. Ninnidh the Pious of Inishmacsaint, St. Laisren of Devenish, St. Canice of Aghaboe

Seven Founder Saints of Brittany:  St. Coretin of Quimper, St. Tugdual of Tréguier, St. Paterne of Vannes, St. Samson of Dol, St. Pol de Léon, St. Malo and St. Brieuc

Patron Saints

England:

St. George of Lydda, Patron Saint of England.  St. George has been a patron saint of England since the early Anglo-Saxon church, but the “one and only” patron saint of England just since the time of the Tudors.

St. Edward the Confessor, Patron Saint of England

St. Gregory the Great, Patron Saint of England

St. Thomas Becket, Patron Saint of England

St. Edmund the Martyr, Patron Saint of East Anglia, Patron Saint of England

St. Cuthbert, Patron Saint of Northumbria

St. Chad of Mercia, Patron Saint of Mercia

St. Cedd of Essex, Patron Saint of Essex

St. Aldhelm of Malmesbury, Patron Saint of Wessex

St. Richard of Chichester, Patron Saint of Sussex

St. Augustine of Canterbury, Patron Saint of Kent

Old Britain:

St. David of Mynyw, Patron Saint of Wales

St. Piran of Padstowe, Patron Saint of Cornwall

St. Michael the Archangel, Patron Saint of Cornwall

St. Petroc, Patron Saint of Dumnonia and of Devon, Patron Saint of Cornwall

St. Boniface of Devon, Martyr, (modern) Patron Saint of Devon

St. Constantine of Dumnonia, Patron Saint of Dumnonia

St. Sidwella, Virgin not Martyr, Patron Saint of Exeter

Scotland:

The patron saint of Fortrenn was originally St. Columba of Iona.  Upon King Nechtan mac Der-Ilei accepting the Roman Easter in 710, he declared St. Peter the Apostle as the kingdom’s patron saint.  After King Oengus II mac Fergusa won the Battle of Aethelstaneford in 832, he changed the patron saint of the kingdom to St. Andrew the Apostle.

St. Columba of Iona, Priest and Abbot, Patron Saint of Cenel nGabhrain, Patron Saint of Dal Riata, Patron Saint of Fortrenn, Patron Saint of Argyll and the Isles, Patron Saint of Scotland

St. Peter the Apostle, Patron Saint of Scotland

St. Andrew the Apostle, Patron Saint of Fife, Patron Saint of Scotland

St. Margaret of Scotland, Patron Saint of Scotland

St. David of Scotland, Patron Saint of Scotland

St. Kessog of Lennox, Patron Saint of Lennox, Patron Saint of Scotland

St. Conran, Patron Saint of Orkney

St. Serf of Culross, Patron Saint of Orkney

St. Magnus Erlendsson, Patron Saint of Orkney

St. Fergus Cruithneach, Patron Saint of Caithness

St. Constantine of Strathclyde and Govan, Patron Saint of Strathclyde

St. Mungo (Kentigern) of Glasgow, Patron Saint of Strathclyde

St. Ninian, Patron Saint of Galloway

St. Maelrubha of Applecross, Patron Saint of North Argyll

St. Moluag (Lughaidh) of Lismore, Patron Saint of Cenel Loairn, Patron Saint of Dal Riata, Patron Saint of Argyll and the Isles

St. Cathan of Bute, Patron Saint of Cenel Comghaill, Patron Saint of Dal Riata, Patron Saint of Argyll and the Isles

St. Comman of Islay, Patron Saint of Cenel nOenghusa

St. Baldred of Tyninghame, Patron Saint of Lothian

Isle of Mann:

St. Maughold, Patron Saint of the Isle of Mann

Ireland:

St. Patrick of Armagh has only been chief patron saint of Ireland since the very late 9th century.  Before that, it was unquestionably St. Columba of Iona.  Others for the whole island are or were St. Brigid of Kildare (St. Bride in Scotland), St. Ita of Killeedy, and St. Ailbe of Emly.

St. Colmcille of Iona, Patron Saint of Ulster, Patron Saint of Ireland

St. Ailbe of Emly, Patron Saint of Munster, Patron Saint of Ireland

St. Brigid of Kildare, Patron Saint of Leinster, Patron Saint of Ireland

St. Patrick of Armagh, Patron Saint of Ireland

St. Ita of Killeedy, Patron Saint of Ireland

St. Finnian of Moville, Patron Saint of Ulster

St. Enda of Arran, Patron Saint of the Airghialla (Oriel)

St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, Patron Saint of Connacht

St. Finnian of Clonard, Patron Saint of Meath

St. Kevin of Glendalough, Patron Saint of Leinster

St. Ciaran of Saigir, Patron Saint of Ossory

St. Canice (Kenneth) of Aghaboe, Patron Saint of Ossory

St. Declan of Ardmore, Patron Saint of Deisi Mumha

St. Fechin of Cong (Fore), Patron Saint of Conmaicne Mara (Connemara)

St. Cummin Fada, Patron Saint of Gno (Delbhna Tir Dha Locha)

St. Anhin the Virgin, Patron Saint of Gno (Delbhna Tir Dha Locha)

St. Fursey of Killursa, Patron Saint of Muintir Murchada

Channel Islands:

St. Helier, Patron Saint of Jersey

St. Sampson of Dol, Patron Saint of Guernsey

St. Magliore, Patron Saint of Sark

St. Vignalis (Winwaloc), Patron Saint of Alderney

St. Tugual (Tudwal), Patron Saint of Herm

British sub-Roman Diaspora:

St. Ivo of Kermatin, Priest, Patron Saint of Brittany

St. Anne, Mother of St. Mary, Patron Saint of Brittany

St. Mariana of Britonia, Patron Saint of Britonia (northern Galicia, Spain)

Others from the Sarum Kalendar:

St. Maurice, Patron Saint of the Holy Roman Empire

St. Canute the Holy of Denmark, Patron Saint of Denmark

St. Olaf Haraldsson, Patron Saint of Norway

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